Good Days

Thursday started out pretty well. My head wanted to take a nap alllll day, but my body felt fairly strong. Mom and I went to Kohl's to find some good tennis shoes for her to wear. Of course going to Kohl's for one thing never translates to leaving with one thing. Maybe one BAG... Anyways, I started feeling a bit off close to lunch and realized that I had forgotten to take my steriods prednisone and florinef with breakfast. Before long I felt like I had the shakes. What was weird was that I felt like I was stuck on vibrate, but when I looked at my hands they were steady. It made no sense because it felt like the blood coursing through my veins was turbo-charged and I could tell you where all my veins were running or shimmying their way through my upper body. I was thinking about taking Mom to lunch before heading home, but there really wasn't any 'go' left in my get-up-and-go. I took my medication as soon as we walked through the door and within the hour I felt so much better.

I normally take my prednisone and florinef around 9 AM. I really don't know why being 3 hours late would cause me to get the shakes and feel so exhausted and out of gas unless this stuff is really addicting to the body or it's really necessary for me to be ok. This will be one of the first questions I ask my doctors. Doctors. Who ever thought you could have so many of them that you have to go through your mental rolodex when they call to remind you of your next appointment with them.

I felt pretty decent after the medication kicked in and I actually helped pick up the kitchen after dinner (a shock even when I feel well) and went for a short walk with Mom. I lasted a couple of blocks and then sat out on our park bench to watch the clouds reflect the sunset behind us. Very beautiful and peaceful.

Today was really special. I woke up fairly quickly and my head didn't want to nap all day. Mom started sweeping the floor as our deal was that we would clean, THEN go to the beach if I was still up for it. Only Moms get away with this sort of thing. I quickly joined in and before too long the cat hair tumble weeds were rounded up, the couch was defurred, and the laundry folded. We ended up cleaning and picking up for about two hours. I was so drained at the end, but I made it through TWO HOURS of physical exertion and I survived. We had some tasty leftover lasagna (Mom makes the best ever) and headed out to the beach. I ended up going into the water with her three times and while I got pretty tired, I survived once again. Then I helped make dinner, a first in weeks, and ate at least my fair share.

This is the best I've felt since the middle of June when my sister and family were here. I'm so happy that I've proven today that I can once again take care of myself at home. And so grateful I've had either Kelli or Mom gracefully pushing me every day to help me get to this point. I'm also grateful for Chip just loving me and letting Mom and Kelli tell me what to do. I'm used to that dynamic with them (not that I always listen) and want to make sure that Chip and I can move forward from this without him turning into one of my parents. That would be weird.

So the question that really weighs on me is 'where is this recovery coming from?' Being a former Quality Engineer by trade and analytical by birth, I have a need to make my condition come and go to prove what is helping and what is not. But am too terrified after my last 3 hour lapse to stop this medication without medical advice. REALLY good medical advice. Like not from my last general practitioner who thinks this is stress. But that's for another day and a doctor who isn't him.